Senator Dawn Marie Addiego

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Legislation sponsored by Senator Dawn Addiego (R-Atlantic, Burlington, Camden) to protect the privacy of consumers by restricting the collection of their personal information passed the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee.

“At a time when cyber hacks are becoming more and more common, it’s more important than ever that we keep a close eye on what kind of information retailers are holding onto,” Senator Addiego said. “This bill prevents shoppers’ most-sensitive information from being retained by businesses and will ultimately stop that information from getting into the hands of hackers.”

The bill, S-1913, establishes the Personal Information and Privacy Protection Act (PIPPA), which places restrictions on the way retailers collect and use personal information they receive when they scan a shopper’s identification.

While stores can still scan a person’s I.D. to verify their age or to prevent fraud, they will only be allowed to collect the person’s name, address, date of birth and card number. They will not be allowed to retain information related to how the person paid for the goods, if they returned an item or if they requested a refund. Additionally, if a person’s I.D. is scanned when purchasing an age-restricted item, their age cannot be stored.

Any information that is allowed to be retained must be securely stored, and any security breach of the information must be reported to any affected person and the New Jersey State Police.

“Having your personal information compromised in a breach can be a nightmare for consumers,” Senator Addiego said. “We have to limit what information is stored and ensure what is stored is properly protected.”